Sea Life at the Mall of America

Yesterday, the boys and I went to the Mall of America to visit the aquariums at Sea Life.  It's teacher appreciation week this week, meaning it was free for me and 50% off for any additional guests.  We used to be members there, back when it was $10 per person (based on an education discount), but hadn't been there in years...

They have some new things since the last time we visited...like this ray tank...it was pretty cool.

There was another touch tank that had anemones, sea stars, sea cucumbers, among other things you could touch.  Sorry, no pictures...we were too busy touching things...

The horseshoe crabs you couldn't touch...the boys don't believe me that they have blue blood...

We remembered the room with all the different jellyfish...it was hard to walk through without saying 'taking on the jellies....'.  It's a line from Finding Nemo...and all three of us said it at least once...

This coral tank was new to us...in the middle was a bubble that kids could crawl into and see the fish from another perspective...

Then we moved to the underwater tunnel...first up was the shark tank...

There's another tank that has fish from the Amazon river region and still a third that mimics some of Minnesota's lakes...here's Luke at peace with the sturgeon...

After leaving the tunnels there's a few exhibits of animals living in South American rainforests.  Things like the alligator snapping turtle, poison dart frogs and these caiman...

After a couple of hours at the aquarium, it was time to go home.  We had to cut through Nickelodeon Universe to get to our parking ramp.  It was hear that we ran into these guys...

The boys thought I should take a picture for Lex.  These two are Marshall and Chase from Paw Patrol...a show she likes...

And Kieran found the old location of home plate, back when Metropolitan Stadium sat on the site...he  thought that was cool...

It was a fun couple of hours...

Kieran's Teeth

Last week, Kieran had 8 baby teeth removed....they just weren't coming out and the adults are coming in all directions.  The orthodontist wanted them out so we could wait six months and see how the adult teeth responded.  The end result is he is going to have braces within a year, she was up front with him and he understands that....

He he was last Thursday evening...he didn't want ibuprofen, but he slept okay during the evening.  By the next morning, when he could eat again (his last meal was around 6:45 am the day of the extraction), he was fine, he was running around outside when I got home from school....

Now with eight teeth pulled out, he was well aware of tooth fairy potential.  He's aware of what Lukie has been getting and is fully capable of multiplication...

Thursday was out for the tooth fairy and I didn't know where the teeth were until late Sunday night when he found the teeth and brought them out right before bedtime.  We agreed to put them under his pillow on Monday night...it had waited this long, why not?

When at the gym the next morning....I got this text (which was also sent to Sarah)...

The gig was up...Sarah had acted the part of the tooth fairy and taken the teeth and replaced it with money on the counter.  I asked Kieran why he thought the tooth fairy wasn't real and he said "she only takes teeth from under the pillow."

He was upset...but agreed to not tell Luke or Lex (who hasn't lost any teeth).  He was furious when he said "I bet mom has all my teeth" and I said 'not true...I do..." and then I had to show him.  He just laughed when he saw every tooth he's every lost....I still need to add the new 8 to the collection...

I'm sure Santa...Easter Bunny...Leprechaun....etc...they're all gone...oh well, it was time...

April Fool's Day

At school, I mess with a lot of people throughout the day or year....students, staff, doesn't matter.  Anytime something happens in the building, I'm one of two people who get a call asking about it (it's not always something I was involved in).  The kids (and staff) enjoy the back and forth....but sometimes it comes back to me...today it came back big...

This was the scene when I walked into my room at 7:00 am....

Every single table (slate tables...heavy as can be), chair, eraser, remote, pin was turned upside down.  Throughout the day I continued to find things that were upside down (the two Mars globes in the front of the room, the coffee pot, the label maker, a tennis ball, etc.)...and I'm sure there are still things I'm going to find upside down...

On the white board a message was written...

Yeah, it came a day early, but it was awesome...I laughed so hard and continued to laugh about it all day long....

I've identified two students who were involved for sure...I'm pretty sure that at least two more were in on it and think at least one staff member helped....this was just too big for two 8th grade girls...The best part --- these kids were having fun, there was nothing malicious done...I'm sure they laughed the whole time (and I can't imagine how long it took)...

Good luck to them.  They won this round...I've got six weeks for payback...

Spring Break '17

So the three kiddos started spring break yesterday and I had the day off as well....so I asked them what they wanted to do, I said "do you want to go to the zoo?"  Lex said yes immediately, but the boys were emphatic....they wanted a haircut...

So that's what we did...we also went to Safari Island for a while to play and we were outside playing catch for a while (it was supposed to rain all day, but it cleared early)...and Luke and I took a long Pokemon walk...but the highlight was the haircut...

A Shave and a Haircut

So way back....last August, I was shaving one day and Luke asked "what would happen if you didn't do that?"  I just told him it would continue to grow and he said "you should do that."  So I did...thinking it's three weeks or so until school starts and I would shave then...

Enter an assistant principal who is not very smart...upon returning to school for workshop week he looked at me and said "you've got one week until you need to shave that."  I've never been very good at being told what to do, people really should start figuring that out, so at that point it was 'let it grow'....

Fast forward until early March and this is what it was....

March madness at it's best...the assistant principal had just shaken his head once or twice a week for the last six months or so...

Then came the shave...

The kids were upset (both the three at home and the 8th grade kids at school)...Kieran, who was taking the pictures, said "if I knew what you were doing I wouldn't have taken the pictures."  The kids at school thought they had a sub at first glance.

Side-by-side....

Yeah, I look like I've twelve...but oh well.  Kieran has asked "how long until it grows back?"

What did all that hair look like...here you go...

I also got a haircut (back to the short on the back and slightly longer on the top) that day which added to the drastic change...

Laundry Day

So Luke had a field trip Friday to Baylor Park to learn about making maple syrup.  We were warned to wear boots and that clothes their might get muddy.  Coming home Friday night, you could see that his coat and gloves should probably be washed....

Which is okay, Sunday is generally laundry day for us...get all the clothes cleaned for the upcoming week and all that...

Till I find Luke's pants from Friday....hidden halfway down the dirty clothes hamper...with every piece of clothes in the close vicinity covered in mud or soaked...

This was the clean side...nothing like hiding you're terribly muddy clothes...

On a positive note ---- I texted the mothers of Luke's two closest friends...one found her kids clothes after I texted her and the other kids father attended the trip and put the clothes immediately in the washer on returning home (that kid would've hid them as well)...so it's not just Luke...

Raider Basketball continued...

Well...the Raider girls did beat GSL last Tuesday...subsection champions, one game away from state...

Here's a picture I took during the game...Kieran/Lex wanted a picture of their favorite player playing...she's number 32...

On the way home I heard Kieran & Lex planning their next card (it needed to get done quick, because they're busy on Wednesday nights and I would deliver it Thursday --- but they worked on it as soon as they got home Wednesday)...the Raiders were going to play New Richland for the section title...

Of course that meant we were going to Mankato again....

Though after holding a big lead through the first 15 minutes, New Richland ended up winning the game 53-45...no state (for the 3rd time in a row)...and Kieran now hates New Richland (along with Pipestone, Maple Lake)....but it was fun to watch....

After the game ended though, the kids ended up getting a picture with Mary (their favorite player)...it absolutely made their day...

On the way home, Kieran and Lex said they were going to make one last card for Mary (since she might be feeling bad)...this is what they came up with (I'll deliver it in the morning)....

Several years ago, Kieran told my mother that he would never want to go to a girls game (of any sport).  What's amazing for me to watch, is how committed these kids get to the players and team (and all young kids do).  I think Lex loved watching a sport that girls were excelling in, since they are role models in so many ways...Kieran loves supporting the Raiders and now found a player he's going to continue to follow forever (he asked earlier....'dad, can we go to volleyball games next year?'...she plays volleyball too....).

It's amazing how much kids look up to high school athletes....I never realized that until these three kids....

Raider Girls Basketball

So the kids and I have been attending quite a few girls (and some boys) basketball games the last few months and they've really taken to it (not too surprising with Kieran, but Luke and Lex too)....

The section playoffs started last Tuesday --- the Raiders are seeded #1 --- and there was an autograph session afterwards...it was a hit...

I'm pretty sure that none of the kids said anything but 'thanks' as they went through the line, but they really loved it...all three have these nearly identical pictures...

They won the section opening game 72-21...yeah...that big.  The second round game was last Friday in Prior Lake and we all went again...this time it was much closer...68-64 in overtime (not a good game for the Raiders or the referees)....

On the way home, Lex said she was going to make a card for the Raiders, so that they do better and win the next game too (they certainly should, it'd be an upset if they lose).  So she sat down over the weekend to make one...even Kieran helped...

The front cover...

The inside...

The back cover...

I delivered the card this morning to someone who can get it to the players....All three are committed to this team...it'll be fun to see where it leads...section semi-final game tomorrow night in Mankato!

Flat Lukie....

A second grade project at Central is for students to read the book 'Flat Stanley' and then create a flat version of themselves and send on adventures throughout the year.  At the end of the year, students need to have pictures and do a presentation/write up of the adventures their flat version went on...

Several years ago, flat Kieran went with Missy/Pete throughout California and the NW.  He also traveled abroad with Steph/David to Europe for Easter Mass with the Pope (among other sites).  Flat Kieran also visited some 'boring' Minnesota sites too...

For the last few weeks, Flat Lukie has been on quite the adventure driving from Minnesota to California and back with Papa (and Gary/Luann)...

Here's some of Flat Lukie's adventures....

Flat Lukie and Papa ready to leave.  February 3.

Flat Lukie with Gary underground at Subtropolis, Kansas City?

Flat Lukie & Papa at the Steamboat Arabia Museum

Flat Lukie & Papa at the Cosmosphere, Hutchinson Kansas

Enjoying nearly 80 degrees...

Rowena, Texas.  Flat Luke's Great grandmother was born here.

Abiline, Texas....longhorns?

Flat Lukie wasn't allowed underground...safety reasons...

In New Mexico...

Flat Lukie even went sledding...in sand...

Flat Lukie also traveled to Tombstone, Arizona to see the shootout at the O.K. Corral...but safety reasons kept him inside Newmar...

He did see some Saguaro cacti though...

He made to Edwards Air Force base and probably saw some top secret 'stuff'...though he's not talking now...

He also took some driving lessons...notice it's pretty late...the police were sleeping...

It's on the return trip that he's been hitting the highlights...

But Papa said it was 'too dangerous' for Flat Lukie to come to the ledge even though he could...

Before the Grand Canyon, Flat Lukie visited Las Vegas...but what happens there, stays there...it was a late night...

Later on...

Moab, Utah

Sounds like Flat Lukie is due home in a day or two....he'll need some rest, but has another two months for adventures...what will happen next?

Should've done this for Flat Kieran....Flat Lex is next year though!